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What kits have a dana rearend?


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  • 2 years later...

The most accurate Dana 60 axles came in the Revell 68-69 Chargers, HEMI Dart, and the new HEMI 'Cuda.

I will second Jeff's suggestion after comparing the first two above. The two housings are very similar, but not quite exactly the same. The '68 Hemi Dart's rear cover is slightly wider or elongated (side-to-side, when in the installed position) and just slightly larger all around the perimeter than the '68/9 Charger R/T's. The Hemi Dart's housing appear (to me) to be closer to 1/24.5 scale, if we assume the Charger's is a correct 1/25 in all dimensions. Looking at it another way, the Charger's rear could pass as a Dana 60 and the Hemi Dart's as a Dana 70 IMHO, and the Dart's rear would look right at home in either a 1/25 or 1/24 scale model.

The Dana 44 front axle from the just issued Ford Bronco has a nice cover, but the housing itself is too generic and the ribbing looks to squared off to me, so I only include the cover in my comparison photos. The Bronco's cover looks just fine on the Charger's housing but appears a but undersized on the Dart's, so I think the Bronco cover used with the Charger housing produces the best option for a Dana 44 (for most applications, but not all) setup. The best thing about the Bronco's cover in my opinion is it's scale thickness, which has less "bulge" where the cover expands over the ring gear inside. This "bulge" isn't horrible on either the Charger nor Dart's covers (and not nearly as bad as seen on the JO-HAN cover), but the lip of the Bronco's cover is also much more in scale than the others, too. The thick, over-sized lip on the JO-HAN Dana differential cover can be thinned down in ll fairness, but it still comes in a distant fourth place not worth using at all in my opinion, since there are better, more accurate options available.

A word about the comparison pics I added below. From top to bottom the rear ends are:

  1. 1/25 Revell Dodge Ram VTS Chrysler 9.25"
  2. 1/25 Revell '68 Hemi Dart
  3. 1/25 Revell '68 Dodge Charger R/T
  4. Unknown black rear, which I *think* is from the 1/25 Revell Chevy '73-'86 Stepside kit(s)

I included the Ram VTS and unknown black rear for visual comparison, and because the black rear was the closest rear I could find which I thought would pass for a Dana 44 rear. Its shape is a bit generic, and again, in my opinion, I would use the Charger's rear and Bronco's cover to come close to a Dana 44, but considering the size of the housing alone, the black rear appears closer to a Dana 44 IMHO. That said, please have a look at the pics and judge what you think looks better, more accurate, etc. It's always good to have options.

 

The bottom axle in the below image has the Bronco's Dana 44 cover in place:

 

Below, clockwise from top left: Ram VTS, '68 Hemi Dart, '68 Charger, Bronco:

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I will second Jeff's suggestion after comparing the first two above. The two housings are very similar, but not quite exactly the same. The '68 Hemi Dart's rear cover is slightly wider or elongated (side-to-side, when in the installed position) and just slightly larger all around the perimeter than the '68/9 Charger R/T's. The Hemi Dart's housing appear (to me) to be closer to 1/24.5 scale, if we assume the Charger's is a correct 1/25 in all dimensions. Looking at it another way, the Charger's rear could pass as a Dana 60 and the Hemi Dart's as a Dana 70 IMHO, and the Dart's rear would look right at home in either a 1/25 or 1/24 scale model.

The Dana 44 front axle from the just issued Ford Bronco has a nice cover, but the housing itself is too generic and the ribbing looks to squared off to me, so I only include the cover in my comparison photos. The Bronco's cover looks just fine on the Charger's housing but appears a but undersized on the Dart's, so I think the Bronco cover used with the Charger housing produces the best option for a Dana 44 (for most applications, but not all) setup. The best thing about the Bronco's cover in my opinion is it's scale thickness, which has less "bulge" where the cover expands over the ring gear inside. This "bulge" isn't horrible on either the Charger nor Dart's covers (and not nearly as bad as seen on the JO-HAN cover), but the lip of the Bronco's cover is also much more in scale than the others, too. The thick, over-sized lip on the JO-HAN Dana differential cover can be thinned down in ll fairness, but it still comes in a distant fourth place not worth using at all in my opinion, since there are better, more accurate options available.

A word about the comparison pics I added below. From top to bottom the rear ends are:

  1. 1/25 Revell Dodge Ram VTS Chrysler 9.25"
  2. 1/25 Revell '68 Hemi Dart
  3. 1/25 Revell '68 Dodge Charger R/T
  4. Unknown black rear, which I *think* is from the 1/25 Revell Chevy '73-'86 Stepside kit(s)

I included the Ram VTS and unknown black rear for visual comparison, and because the black rear was the closest rear I could find which I thought would pass for a Dana 44 rear. Its shape is a bit generic, and again, in my opinion, I would use the Charger's rear and Bronco's cover to come close to a Dana 44, but considering the size of the housing alone, the black rear appears closer to a Dana 44 IMHO. That said, please have a look at the pics and judge what you think looks better, more accurate, etc. It's always good to have options.

12acb643-7b58-43b9-a937-aba82fc43257.jpg

61663311-ecec-4fe3-8ce6-2b8912550c17.jpg

e255ca42-5a21-4521-9c7e-3421db12d945.jpg

dc9f3bce-c62e-4061-aee1-efff8f823768.jpg

 

The bottom axle in the below image has the Bronco's Dana 44 cover in place:

4eb00ede-021e-4b5c-acee-2bebf940ae1a.jpg

 

Below, clockwise from top left: Ram VTS, '68 Hemi Dart, '68 Charger, Bronco:

e735e3b7-f8f5-49cd-ba65-b69e700b0592.jpg

the only one of those that resembles a dana 60 cover  is the top right

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Is the rear end in the Jo-Han SC/Rambler a Dana?

I believe it is supposed to be a Dana 60, and IIRC the same rear is found in the Sox & Martin '7 Cuda kit, too. Here are the rearend halves from the SC/Rambler, the cover, and a chrome plated cover from another, unknown JO-HAN kit:

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The AMT 69 GTX and the 70 Super Bee have respectable Dana 60 axles as well. I don't have a 68 Road Runner for reference, but I assume it does as well.

 

Axle cover link http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/attachments/f8/1353617d1400580627t-identify-axles-transmission-axlechart.jpg

Edited by Dodge Driver
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The AMT 69 GTX and the 70 Super Bee have respectable Dana 60 axles as well. I don't have a 68 Road Runner for reference, but I assume it does as well.

Here's a pic of the '69 GTX's rear cover from an eBay listing, but I don't think it's as nice nor as accurate as the two Revell-sourced options above:

Edited by Casey
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Here's a pic of the '69 GTX's rear cover from an eBay listing, but I don't think it's as nice nor as accurate as the two Revell-sourced options above:

755829c4-09da-400f-bc8b-b8ecda30586f.jpg

I agree, Casey. And the cover has eleven bolts although Dana covers have ten. Still, it was a jewel back in the day when all I had seen was those awful Monogram Mopar axles.

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I agree, Casey. And the cover has eleven bolts although Dana covers have ten. Still, it was a jewel back in the day when all I had seen was those awful Monogram Mopar axles.

I don't doubt it at all, and I think the AMT/Ertl '68-9 Mopar B-bodies were a huge upgrade over what was available then. I'm just hoping everyone who has access to Dana rear parts can share so we can all see what's available, and then decide what works best for each of us.

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